Today we’d like to introduce you to Luis Eduardo Gonzalez, a company member from The Joffrey Ballet who will be writing for us here! Naturally, his first post for us will have a Nutcracker theme, since it is that time of year. We look forward to hearing more from him throughout the season!

by Luis Eduardo Gonzalez

The annual occurrence of Nutcracker, for most dancers in the United States, has become as inevitable as Christmas or winter. Just like the holidays and the weather, people have different ways of approaching the seasonal change. Some dread the cold and feel lonely around the intensely marketed time of the year, while others start playing Christmas music and whip out a Christmas tree the day after Halloween. We all know the music, the story, the process; it is easy to give in to the monotony and start to dread your 27th show of Waltz of the Flowers before you’ve even opened. We’ve all felt this way at one point or another, and maybe not even just with Nutcracker. Getting caught up with the potential stagnancy that routine can bring is a difficulty that we are all susceptible to at any point in a dance career, or in any career. There are, however, moments that if approached in with the right perspective, and with enough attention, can remind us to live in the now, and bring us back to appreciating how lucky we are to do what we do. It is too easy to forget that we have a career, or rather a medium, through which we use our gifts to provide special moments, and feelings to other people.

The casting journey

Christopher Wheeldon choreographed a completely new version of The Nutcracker at The Joffrey Ballet last season, after almost thirty years of the Company performing Robert Joffrey’s version of the production. The project was high stakes, and an ambitious undertaking for him, for us, and for everyone involved. To make sure that we had enough time to bring his vision to life, the snow music was waiting for us as soon as we got back from summer break in August. There are four male soloists in his version of snow, and because the dancer I was learning got injured, I was now one of them, and for my second season in the Company it felt like a great opportunity. We rehearsed for a little over a month. Day in and day out, altering steps, repeating sequences over and over, and trying to make sure we were doing the steps the way Chris imagined they would look. Casting came out a few weeks before the performances, and my name was not on it. I was confused, disappointed, embarrassed, and maybe a bit angry. No one had talked to me, no one had given me notes on how I could have improved on the work; it was as if my work for the last month meant nothing, like it had just been erased. Looking back, it seems silly to get upset over one role. In the large scheme of things this was definitely not a matter of life or death, but being a professional dancer means that you are the product your selling. Attaching your self-worth to the roles that you do or don’t get happens almost naturally.

After a night with a little Malbec, and a call with my family, I realized that at I had a decision to make. I could give into righteous resignation, make myself a martyr in my own head, and give up or I could fight for an opportunity to grow through this. One very helpful thing that came up in my memory was my teacher telling me that when you fall, making excuses stops the process for figuring out what lead to the fall. Defending yourself from something that might hurt you in a way stops you from growing. If the situation was hurting me, then there must be something to learn. This made me think of all the opportunities that we as dancers sometimes don’t take full advantage of. The truth is that we love what we do, passionately. We know this because the career is too difficult and requires too much sacrifice to do it without love, and it is that passion that hypersensitizes a fear of not being allowed to do it. With that in mind it’s easy to see how it’s silly to let changes in circumstance (the ballet, the choreographer, who is teaching class, the role you’re dancing) affect how much joy you get out of doing something that has such a significant place in our hearts.

Luis Eduardo Gonzalez photo by Michael Cairns

I remember the day that Chris came in to talk to the Company about the changes to the traditional story he wanted to see in his new version. The plot would now circle around the 1893 construction of the Chicago World’s Fair. The Land of the Sweets was re-envisioned as a still magical, but somehow more relatable and true wonderland of pavilions where the Waltz of the Flowers, was now the Fair Visitors, and Candy Cane, changed to Buffalo Bill. The best change he made, in my opinion was making Marie a humble immigrant girl in Chicago, raised by a single mother. Although the traditional story is beloved, and still heart warming the opulence of it was really not true to “the spirit of Christmas” but more importantly Chris’s nature. [Read more…]

Each type of conference has it’s own unique atmosphere, and each has it’s own sense of purpose and direction. The Performing Arts Medicine Association‘s 2017 Symposium is no exception, and since this was our first time attending, we’d like to give an overall picture of what this gathering is like, and who typically attends. This way, if you aren’t already familiar with the organization, you’ll get a better picture of what they are all about.

Let’s begin with a basic overview of the organization, and it’s mission statement.

What Is PAMA?

Founded in 1989, the Performing Arts Medicine Association, also known as PAMA, is an organization made up of educators, artists, medical professionals, and administrators that share a common goal – improving the healthcare of the performing artist. Unlike the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS), PAMA is not just dedicated to the art of dance, but rather includes all performing artists – such as musicians, dancers, and actors.

Originally founded as an organization for medical professionals, membership expanded over the years to include others who were becoming more and more interested in the health and well-being of this sector of the arts. Approximately 20% of the organization is currently from outside of the US. PAMA holds a yearly symposium as a gathering place for members and others that serves to share information about the field, provide networking opportunities, and more.

PAMA’s mission is stated as follows:

The Performing Arts Medicine Association is committed to:

Promoting the highest quality of care to all performing artists and bringing to that care an appreciation of the special needs of performing artists.

Developing educational programs designed to enhance the understanding and prevention of medical problems related to the performing arts.

Promoting communication among all those involved in the health care and well being of performing artists.

Fostering research into the etiology, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of medical problems of performing artists.

The Symposium

Registration desk at the Westin in Snowmass – PAMA Symposium, 2017

This year the symposium took place in Snowmass – a lovely setting up in the mountains of Colorado. The Westin provided a home base for the event, as well as space for the sessions that took place throughout. For those interested in dance/dancers, there were a number of different presentations to choose from.

The Westin, Snowmass, CO

Here are some examples:

Investigation of the Cardiovascular Endurance of Dance Majors

Risk for Hearing Loss due to Noise Exposure in Competition Dancers

The First Step: Creating a Dancer Wellness Program That Will Engage and Empower

Gaze Behaviour in Dance – the Relevance of Spotting in Pirouettes

Injury Prevention and Optimal Performance Training in Dancers

This should give you an idea of the types of presentations there are for people who are invested in the care of dancers and their bodies. There were also poster presentations, and informal gatherings during the course of the symposium.

As with most conferences, the chance to network and make new associations during the span of the event is an important facet when it comes to attending. We connected with a wide range of people during our time there, including authors, medical practitioners, a clinical and performance psychologist, and people from all over the world with an interest in dancer health and wellness. There is no doubt that these people are passionate about the work they do, and it’s wonderful to have some space created for them to come together like this and share what they are working on, and what they have learned with one another.

Poster Presentation at PAMA

It is our hope that with the growth of the dance wellness section of this site, we will be able to continue sharing information about conferences and symposiums such as PAMA (and others), and that our outreach will help create more pathways for dancers and dance teachers to connect with the important information and research that is taking place all over the world.

Those interested in attending the 36th Annual PAMA International Symposium can view more information about the gathering in Orange, CA here. It takes place from June 30th to July 3rd.

Disclosure: This author is the editor/owner of 4dancers. She attended the PAMA Symposium on a press pass granted by the organization, but no monetary compensation was received for her coverage of the event. All transportation, lodging, and meals were paid for by 4dancers.

Dance/USA – Setup for the Opening Night Celebration at Union Station, Kansas City

by Catherine L. Tully

Each year dance professionals from all over the US (and beyond) gather to talk about subjects that are central to the field, and this year approximately 500 of them met up in Kansas City for Dance/USA’s 9th annual conference – and 35th anniversary. Held from June 7th to June 10th, this group came together to network, train, discuss issues, bond with one another, and watch dance.

Dance/USA Opening Night

If you are not familiar with Dance/USA, they are a service organization that works to sustain and advance the world of professional dance at all levels – from executive directors and arts leaders, to working artists – and everyone in-between. The conference provides a forum for those involved in this arena to share best practices, talk about current events and attitudes, and examine and explore solutions to problems, as well as discuss new horizons in the field.

The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

Kansas City provided a lovely backdrop for this year’s conference, and it’s always amazing to get an up-close look at another city’s arts scene. With events taking place at venues such as the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Union Station, and the National World War I Museum, there was certainly plenty to see. [Read more…]

Aloha! I hope everyone is getting back “intro the swing of things” as the new dance / academic year starts up!

Today we are pleased to offer you another piece of exciting information from the UK — we last posted Erin Sanchez’s article on One Dance UK / NIDMS (National Institute for Dance Medicine and Science), and all the good work going on in that country.

This post is from Claire Farmer, another one of the younger generation of dance medicine & science leaders in the UK. Claire is a dancer / Associate Lecturer at Roehampton University, and is also affiliated with One Dance UK. She initiated the website Dance Longer Dance Stronger, and in 2016 launched the Performers Health Hub mobile app, to allow those in the UK dance community to connect more easily with dance medicine healthcare and resources. She now working on eventually launching a USA version of the app.

Enjoy reading about all her good work, and pass it on!

Aloha,
Jan

Jan Dunn, MS, Dance Wellness Editor

by Claire Farmer, MSc

Have you ever felt a twinge, or something that didn’t feel quite right but you’ve also got a class in 10 minutes, followed by a rehearsal and then a million other things to do, so you’ll work out what to do later?

BUT WAIT – STOP!! Shouldn’t our body be our first priority, as our main tool for our work? We know that dancers are busy, but that they also need to be able to quickly access specialist healthcare and to find reliable information on how to care for their body. Luckily, there is a wealth of information available from experts in dancers’ health – but unfortunately this information often doesn’t always make its way to the dancer.

That’s where the Performers Health Hub App comes in. Launched in the UK in November 2016, the app is now expanding to the US. The aim of the app is to quickly connect dancers with reliable, evidence based information on a range of topics including warming up and cooling down, fitness, stretching, hypermobility and nutrition. The app has been developed in response to the high injury rate among dancers and the lack of time available due to the nature of their work, to conduct thorough research in locating top quality healthcare.

If you do experience an injury, the app will also help you to search for a dance medicine specialist near you – either private treatment, practitioners who accept your insurance, or one of the few specialized dance medicine centres scattered across the US – or if you’re in the UK, one of the few free ones. Making sure you receive the best care to ensure you reach your optimal potential as a dancer, and receive the best rehabilitation as a performer, is our top priority.

A study into injury rates in professional modern dancers concluded that a total of 82% of dancers experienced between 1 and 7 injuries within the previous 12 months(1). Of those that sought medical attention 47% were to physicians, 41% to physical therapists and 34% to chiropractors(1). Similar research in the UK reported that 80% of all dancers (professional and student) will suffer an injury each year through training, rehearsal of performance(2) or as a result of fatigue and overwork, insufficient warming-up or cooling-down, recurring injury or not being able to respond to the early warning signs of injury(3).

This highlights the need for dancers to quickly, and easily find the specialist care that will enable them to return to dance training and performance as soon as possible. Resources on the Performers Health Hub are drawn from a consortium of UK organisations at the forefront of dance medicine and science research and advocacy – including: National Institute of Dance Medicine and Science (NIDMS), One Dance UK, Safe in Dance International, British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM), and also the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS). It will now expand to include resources and clinics in the United States and Canada.

Experiencing an injury can be a very lonely and challenging time for a dancer, and it is hoped that the app will not only help the dancer seek specialist care and information, but to also reduce that feeling of isolation. There are many things we can do to support each other as a dance community internationally and the Performers Health Hub app aims to draw these connections closer, providing support for dancers wherever they are in the world and connecting them with others who have gone through similar experiences.

The app will continue to grow as resources expand and through feedback from dancers, with regular updates taking place to ensure the most up to date information is in the palm of your hand.

Dance Longer Dance Stronger

Dance Longer Dance Stronger was established in 2014, growing out of a need to encourage dancers to be more open about injuries and training, the struggles they face and the training methods they use. Dance Longer Dance Stronger aims to open communication between dancers, and between health professionals so there is a two-way dialogue and so that should a dancer face an injury, they don’t feel alone in dealing with it.

Dance Longer Dance Stronger aims to connect dancers with other dancers who have faced similar health related issues and help dancers find specialist healthcare and easy-to-digest, reliable resources as quickly and easily as possible.

On August 19th, Dance for Life Chicago will once again take place at the Auditorium Theatre, and anyone who has attended in the past knows that this performance isn’t one to be missed. The atmosphere is always highly charged, as an enthusiastic audience comes together to support the dance community in our city. It’s a night like none other in terms of the variety of Chicago dance talent gathered together on stage.

Each year the performance is preceded by a Gala Celebration at Hilton Chicago, located nearby at 720 South Michigan Avenue. The show itself begins at 7:30, featuring performances from Giordano Dance Chicago, Joffrey Ballet, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, as well as Visceral Dance Chicago and Jessica Miller Tomlinson Choreography. Add to that a collaboration between Chicago Human Rhythm Project, Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater, and Trinity Irish Dance, and you have a full evening of dance – topped off by a finale choreographed by Randy Duncan. Carisa Barreca and Kevin Sciretta of The Second City will be the emcees for the night, adding a lighthearted touch to the festivities.

As if such a gathering of Chicago dance companies isn’t enough in and of itself, the proceeds from Dance for Life Chicago 2017’s benefit performance will be contributed to the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and Chicago Dancers United’s Dancers’ Fund, which provides financial support to dance professionals experiencing critical health and life issues. This yearly event has raised more than 5.5 million dollars since it began in 1992.

Visit Chicago Dancers United to learn more about the performance, the Dancers’ Fund, or to get tickets for this special event.

4dancers is a media sponsor for this event. We have supported Dance for Life for many years, and are proud to stand behind this cause and do our part to give back to the Chicago dance community.

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